#cardinal becciu

[thaern]

Tremblay testifying after Thomas cancelled him for fraud and stealing in front of the curia

Inspo bellow

[maya-chirps]

I know the conclave already started and this is a settled issue already but it must be soooo embarrassing to come over the Vatican as a disgraced cardinal to try to petition for reinstating your right to vote after it was stripped away when you were convicted of fraud and embezzlement, only for one of the dead pope's closest friends and one of the leading papabili whip out a surprise document that the pope made that no one else knew about until the very meeting before the conclave that was made specifically to tell people to not let you vote like that's so embarrassing

[indynerdgirl]

The cardinals’ ‘Becciu Test’

Cardinal Becciu's claim to enter the conclave serves up a test of law and leadership for the cardinals

If you haven't been following the huge Vatican financial scandal over the past few years (seriously, go read up on it if you haven't - the whole thing is better than anything Hollywood could come up with!), you probably don't know who Cardinal Becciu is but this is something huge to keep an eye on as we get closer to the start of the conclave. Becciu was forced back in September of 2020 to resign all rights & privileges of a cardinal (but not formal membership of the college), which includes being able to vote in conclaves, after Vatican City prosecutors presented the late pope with preliminary findings from an investigation into possible financial crimes committed by Becciu while working in the the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. Then in December of 2023, Becciu was found guilty on charges of abuse of office, embezzlement, conspiracy, and witness tampering. He received a sentence of five years and six months, a fine of 8,000 euros (around $8,700), and perpetual disqualification from holding public office. (his appeal is still ongoing) But despite this, Becciu has been telling Italian newspapers that he does have voting rights and is saying he'll be participating in the upcoming conclave, no matter that the Holy See press office has him listed as a "non-elector". And if you're wanting some more background about the financial scandal, this piece by the Financial Times from Nov 2021 is another good explainer. Whatever your thoughts are on Pope Francis, he worked hard to reform Vatican finances and to make them more transparent.

[indynerdgirl]

Will Pope Francis reinstate Becciu?

Analysis

During a Sunday homily in his native Sardinia, Cardinal Angelo Becciu told the assembly that Pope Francis had called him the previous day to invite him to this week’s consistory, and — according to Becciu — promised to reinstate his rights as a member of the College of Cardinals.

It is, as the saying goes, “big, if true.”

While the cardinal’s account of the telephone call has been splashed across Italian and Catholic media, and his brother Mario has written on Facebook that it marks the end of “two endless years” for Becciu, there has been no official explanation from the Holy See on the matter.

This is not the first time the Becciu clan has confidently predicted the rehabilitation of “Don Angelino,” as he is known in his hometown.

In April last year, Francis celebrated a private Mass in Becciu’s home, kicking off a spate of confident predictions that the cardinal was on his way back into the pope’s inner circle and public good graces. Instead, just a few months later, Becciu found himself on trial for embezzlement, abuse of office, and a host of other charges.

But unlike Holy Week of 2021, Becciu isn’t spinning what was later described by the Holy See as a “private act of pastoral mercy” — the Vatican’s official news site has seemingly confirmed that Becciu will be in attendance at next week’s consistory of cardinals.

While it is possible the cardinal is over-selling whatever the pope allegedly told him about his future “reinstatement” to his “cardinalatial functions,” it seems settled that when the consistory meets later this week, Becciu will be there, at least in some capacity.

If you've been following the Vatican’s London financial scandal, this really is a big deal if it's true as Becciu is still on trial at the Vatican for several different charges that include embezzlement & abuse of office.

This video is also a really good explainer of what's been going on the last few years with this whole mess. I highly recommend giving it a watch:

[gwydionmisha]

Vatican's Cardinal Becciu on trial in $412m fraud case

Cardinal Becciu was once close to the Pope but was sacked after reports of financial misdeeds.